Make a wish, Count to three
by Blackbirdflies
Summary: Wilder!Wonkafic OC Clara finds herself staying at the Wonka factory after becoming lost. She soon realizes that Mr. Wonka isn't as happy as he seems to be. Will she be able to help him find true happiness?
1. Chapter 1: Welcome!

Make a wish…Count to three

Rating: T

Info: This story is based on the old Wonka movie with Mr. Wonka played by Gene Wilder. (just so you know) It takes place after the movie when Charlie's family has moved into the factory and Wonka is teaching him how to run it.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or write the script for the movie. I am not making any profit off of this story and it's purely for my enjoyment. Yep.. that's all. Oh yes, and there's no such place called Waterdale-I made it up- and I know of a Forthlin road in Liverpool. (that's where Paul Mccartney lived)

Enjoy!

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Her heart was pounding in her ears as she swiftly walked down the sidewalk. How could she have gotten lost? The directions were clear yet she couldn't find the house that she was looking for! She began to mumble about the cold and complain about how heavy her suitcase was when she saw a little boy look up curiously at her.

"Excuse me miss," he said slowly, "Do you need any help?"

She stopped in her tracks, blowing a piece of hair from her eyes and looking down at the tiny blonde head.

"Yeah, I'm lost." She stated, looking at her surroundings. There were a bunch of houses and a street… that's about it. Starting to lose her temper again she rose her voice,

"I have no clue where I'm going!"

The boy stepped back a tad and offered to help.

"Where are you headed?"

"Forthlin road."

There was a pause as the boy racked his brains for the address.

"I've never heard it. I do think that there's one in Waterdale though."

"Where's Waterdale?" she asked, hoping that it wasn't too far away. Her cousins were expecting her any minute now and she was standing in the street, talking to a little boy.

"About a days drive from here."

"A DAY!"

The boy stepped back further at her outburst and the woman noticed his fear. She stooped down to his level and said,

"Sorry 'bout that. My name's Clara Harrison."

"Nice to meet you Miss Harrison. Me name's Charlie Buckett. And I know where you can stay for a night or two."

"You do?" Clara said happily, now starting to shiver from the cold. The prospect of a nice warm room was starting to sound appealing.

"Yeah, follow me."

Guessing that the boy was as nice as he seemed Clara began to follow him down the street. They walked for about ten minutes when he came up to a giant gate. Behind that gate was a factory of sorts with plumes of smoke coming out of giant stacks. Behind the gate, just above the door, were purple swirly letters stating 'WONKA'.

"Where are we?" she whispered, placing her suitcase onto the ground and looking at Charlie.

"This is Mr. Wonka's chocolate factory."

"You live here?"

"Yep." Charlie replied, taking out a giant key from his pocket and sticking it into the gate. He twisted it around two full times and the gate popped open.

"Are you sure I can stay here?" she asked, visioning a dark gray room with a stale bench to sleep on.

"Yep." Was all Charlie said, skipping up to the front door and then abruptly stopping. He knocked twice and waited. Clara looked at the door then down at Charlie, nothing was happening. Just when she was about to get out of there the door swiftly opened and a strange man appeared. She guessed that this was the famed Mr. Wonka.

He was wearing a purple shirt with green bow tie and a long purple velvet coat over top. Sitting on his head was a brown top hat with plenty of brown frizzy curls poking out from the bottom.

"Charlie, where have you been?" he began in a warm tone, gently scolding the youngster, "You know that you can't go out wandering the streets anymore."

"But I was bored.." Charlie mumbled, shuffling inside the door with his head down. This left Clara standing by herself in the doorway with a nervous smile on her face. Mr. Wonka looked up at her and seemed surprised, (and a bit upset.)

"Hello," he began, staring at her accusingly, "Who are you?"

"I am-" Clara began, only to get cut off by Charlie who started the introducing.

"This is Clara Harrison and she's looking for Forthlin road, but I told her that it was in Waterdale, and she's very upset. She needs to get there quickly."

"I'm visiting cousins." She explained, Charlie still rambling on about their meeting.

"I saw her in the street and she looked very worried so I asked her what was wrong-"

This time Mr. Wonka cut Charlie off, looking at Clara while he spoke to him.

"That's very interesting Charlie but we can hear about it later."

Clara found it very spooky the way people would talk to another whilst looking into your eyes. She couldn't help but smile at the look that crossed Charlie's face, a scowl that was full of character.

"I'm very sorry," Clara began, picking up her suitcase, "But I'll just be on my way then. I'll stay in a hotel for the night.."

"Nonsense!" Mr. Wonka declared in a loud voice, "You shall stay here.. that is if I can trust you."

Clara cocked an eyebrow, still prepared to run for it if the chance came up.

"Whatever you see in this factory shall stay in your mind only, none other's. You can't even tell your bestest buddy about anything, or your mother. D'accord?"

Clara knew from her French lessons in school that d'accord meant OK in french.

"D'accord."

They stood there on the front step for awhile still, Mr. Wonka looking her over and Charlie standing behind him with a frown. She realized that he was trying to figure out if she was a spy or not and she suddenly felt very uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Are you sure she's not a S-P-Y?" Mr. Wonka asked Charlie over his shoulder, as if Clara didn't know how to spell. She rolled her eyes when he wasn't looking and tried to remain calm.

"I'm sure." Charlie told him confidently whilst fiddling with his thumbs.

"Where are you from?" Wonka asked in a stern tone, not finished his interrogation just yet.

"Canada. Toronto Ontario Canada to be precise."

"Ahh!" Wonka said, raising a finger in the air like he had come to a conclusion. And in asort of a way he had.

"Canadians are my friends, they have wonderful maple syrup over there. You can come in."

Clara was stunned at his reasoning but happy at the same time for having a warm shelter to stay under for the night. She grabbed her bag, hauled it into the doorway, and felt the heavy doors close behind her back.

No word could describe her emotions.


	2. Chapter 2: Lollipop room

Thank you for the one review Avalon's mists. I'm glad you thought I did a good job of keeping Wonka right. If anyone has any suggestions for me, just say them. That is, constructive critism of course, no flames.

Chapter two:

Clara stepped in carefully, not quite sure what to expect from this strange factory. Mr. Wonka had invited her to place her coat in a hand type contraption hanging from the wall. Yet, when the hand grabbed her coat she just laughed instead of scream. She was too tired to feel scared and felt as if she were in a daze as she looked around.

A sharp tug suddenly came at her arm and she looked down, surprised to see a tiny orange creature staring up at her. It was pulling at her suitcase and urging her to let go. Clara looked up to Mr. Wonka for reassurance.

"Give your bag to the Oompa Loompa. He will place it in your room."As the orange creature scurried away Mr. Wonka tapped its' head encouragingly. Clara just went along with it, not being able to comprehend anything at the moment.

"Would you like a tour? Or should we send you straight to bed?"

Clara first thought that Mr. Wonka was hitting on her but then realized that such a thought had never crossed his mind. His bright blue eyes were twinkling with mystery and his hat began to tip ever so slightly to the side.

"Oh umm.." Clara began, waking up out of her daydream, "I think I've seen enough for tonight. Would you show me to my room?"

"Certainly." Mr. Wonka replied with a nod of his head, twirling around on his heel and heading down a long hallway. Clara began to think to herself about this strange man whilst she walked, her mind drifting off once more.

He is very kind, yet there's something about him that I just can't place my finger on. Maybe being stuck in a candy factory his whole life has gotten to his brain. But his eyes are so generous, like he would never hurt a fly! But his mannerisms and personality are just a bit off…. I can't quite figure it o-"

Mr. Wonka cut her off, stamping his foot loudly as they reached a door. It was a plain brown door in the middle of a hallway with a bunch of plain brown doors. She wondered how he remembered what was behind them all. As she looked back behind her it looked as if they had been walking for miles, she couldn't see anything except the stretch of the hallway and deep red carpet. It was like the Oscars. (Ok, scratch that thought..)

"Here you are," he announced, fiddling with a giant key ring and shoving what appeared to be a random key into the doorknob. With much surprise it clicked open and Mr. Wonka opened the door with one grand swoop of his arm.

"Oh thank you…" she said, her voice trailing off as she realized what a beautiful room she would be staying in that night. The first thought that crossed her mind was – how much is this going to cost me?-

It was filled with brightly colored fake lollipops and deep red carpeting. The lollipops were all sorts of colors. Swirled and polka- dotted, dipped and knitted. (no clue) In the center of the room was a circle bed, shaped as if to be a lollipop. Off to the side of the room was another door leading to, she supposed, a bathroom.

And to her surprise, (that evening was just full of surprises), Mr. Wonka walked straight up to a purple lollipop and licked it. He smiled a peculiar smile and proclaimed,

"Delicious!"

Shaking herself out of a trance her senses began to come back, these lollipops couldn't be real! But could they? It had seemed like this place was very strange to begin with..

"Good day then- Good night." Wonka corrected himself quickly. But before he could leave, Clara stopped him with a shout,

"I need the tele!"

"The what?"

"Telephone."

"Oh, indeed. I'm afraid the only one is in my office. Well, follow me then." He led her back down the hallway again, this time it seemed as though it only took a second to get to the other end. He opened a door and inside was the strangest office she had ever seen. Everything was cut in half! How could he wash his hands in half a sink? How was the clock still working if it was cut in half! TICK TOCK TICK TOCK!

Clara was screaming in her mind for the bloody clock to shut up, then told herself that she was crazy and really needed some rest very soon. Mr. Wonka smiled at her, noticing the strange expression on her face, and then said,

"It's the clock isn't it? I really need to get rid of that thing.. Oh yes, the telephone. Well here it is." He handed her half of a receiver, followed by half of a cord, down to half of a telephone. She shook her head and began to dial, twisting the dial around with her finger, (even though there was only half of one).

5, shhhhhhhh, 5, shhhhhhhh, 5, shhhhhhhhhh. She hated these type of telephones, (even though there were no other types at the time), and the matter didn't help much that Mr. Wonka was standing over her shoulder as she did so. Clara looked back over at him, smiled, and then went back to dialing. She could hear his breath in her ear as he watched her every move. She guessed that he was just a tad paranoid about secrets leaking out of his factory.

She listened as the phone ringed, her cousin soon picked up with an exasperated,

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mary, it's Clara."

"CLARA!"

"Yeah well, I sort of got lost and.."

"Where the hell have you been?"

"In the wrong place. You didn't tell me you lived in Waterdale. And I'm sort of a days away from there now."

"WHAT? WHERE ARE YOU THEN!"

"A factory. A candy factory to be precise."

Silence

"Don't worry, I'm fine though. There's someone very kind looking after me."

more silence

"Well then, I'll see you soon."

"Clara, we're leaving tomorrow. Didn't I tell you that we were going to Ohio to visit gran? Oh god.. what are you going to do?"

"I'll catch the train back home tomorrow."

"Clara, didn't you hear? There's been a strike."

Mr. Wonka suddenly took in a sharp intake of breath at this news, as surprised as Clara was.

"What type of strike?" Clara asked warily, scared at the answer that she was about to hear.

"A train strike, and it doesn't look like it's going to let up too soon… Oh Clara! HOW COULD YOU HAVE BEEN SO STUPID TO GO TO THE WRONG PLACE! I TOLD YOU WHERE WE LIVED AND YOU SCREWED IT UP!"

"You didn't tell me you lived in Waterdale.." Clara mumbled under her breath, Mr. Wonka tittering over her shoudler.

"Just, good luck Clara. I'm so annoyed right now.."

"Well do you want to know the phone number of where I'm at?"

"Sure, that'd be helpful."

Clara looked up at Mr. Wonka, who in turn shrugged his shoulders at her.

"We don't have a phone number. Calls go out but can never come in." he told her in a whisper. Mary heard it and suddenly became very worried,

"Who was that?" she asked, frantic and crazy. Clara felt like banging her head against the wall.

"It's the man who's letting me stay at the factory. He's very nice and-"

"He sounds mischievous."

"He was whispering so you wouldn't hear him."

"EXACTLY! I'M CALLING THE POLICE RIGHT NOW AND GETTING YOU OUT OF WHERE EVER YOU ARE CLARA HARRISON! YOU BE SURE OF IT!"

click

Clara hung up, looked back at Mr. Wonka, placed the receiver down and took in a deep breath of air.

"Well.." Mr. Wonka said with another shrug of his shoulders, "She sounded like a nice woman."

Clara couldn't help herself but laugh at her cousin's crazy antics, and Mr. Wonka's comment. She shook her head and couldn't wait to climb into the giant comfortable bed that was waiting for her, and maybe even try to lick one of the lollipops to see if they were actually real.

"Thank you Mr. Wonka-"

"Please, call me Will, or Wonka, or Willy. Whatever suits you…. me."

Clara cocked an eyebrow at his strange sentence and continued,

"Thank you… Will. I shall be leaving tomorrow morning."

"But where to?"

"I don't know."

"You could stay here. Until at least the strike is over. It would be my pleasure to show you around the-"

"No," Clara cut him off sharply, "I will be leaving tomorrow."

Wonka watched as she marched out of the room, in awe at her courageous nature. Yet there was something about her that he couldn't quite place, something odd, something that made him feel all funny inside. He felt like banging his head against the wall, and decided that what he really needed was a good nights sleep.


	3. Chapter 3: Schnozzberry?

Please Review. I'd really appreaciate it if you would review my story. I just want to know if anyone is reading this stroy, and if they are, were they enjoying it? Thank You.

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Chapter three:

Bzzzz, Bzzzz, Bzzzz.

What the hell? Clara thought, pulling the covers on her bed tightly over her body. What is that buzzing noise, am I going crazy? She stuck her head up hesitatingly, her eyes straining to see in the lightness of the room. Slowly, she left the bed, searching for where the buzzing noise was coming from. She pulled on her robe and covered herself, not quite sure what would pop out of a corner at any moment.

Looking at the bright blue walls she saw where the buzzing noise was coming from. There was a red flashing button not too far away, and above it was a speaker and microphone. She wasn't quite sure what to do about it, but she really wanted the horrendous noise to go away. So, she hit the button and the buzzing stopped. It was quickly replaced with Mr. Wonka's cool and calming voice.

"Good morning." He said smoothly. Clara could imagine him sitting at his desk right now, feet perched on the top and a microphone in his hand.

"Good morning." She mumbled, not sure if he could hear her or not. Obviously he could because he responded,

"Speak up dear, I can't hear you when you mumble."

"Good morning." She repeated again, this time much louder.

"Breakfast is being sent up your way, unless you want to come have it with us."

Clara wasn't sure if she could find her way down to wherever he wanted her to go, so she said the thing that first came into her mind.

"I think I should be heading on my way Mr… Will."

"Nonsense! Come have breakfast."

"No thanks. I really need to-"

"As my guest I plead you to at least have breakfast with us. It wouldn't feel right otherwise. You need to come. Please?"

Clara couldn't help but chuckle at his begging,

"Oh fine. I just have to get dressed."

"I'll send an Oompa Loompa up then to bring you to the eating room."

There was a click as the speakerphone shut off, leaving Clara to shuffle through her suitcase and find something respectable to wear. What does one wear to breakfast at a candy factory? She thought to herself, rummaging through her junk. She found something after awhile and quickly changed, brushing out her auburn hair and washing her face before a knock came at the door.

"Come in!" she called from the washroom, appearing whilst she was putting in an earring. An orange creature was standing there with a smile on his or her face. They beckoned for Clara to come, as she did, and began to walk down the hallway once more. Clara was nervous, she couldn't help but be nervous having breakfast with a bunch of strangers she had never met before. Plus, Will made her very uncomfortable with his uneasy stare.

Soon, they had come to a gigantic pair of old doors. She had no clue how the Oopma Loompa would open them, but it did, and with surprising ease. Clara peered into the eating room, (as Will had called it), and saw a long table with seven people sitting around it. She found it strange how four of the people were in beds, appearing to be quite old and crippled. She saw Charlie and a man and a woman who appeared to be his parents.

The funniest sight of all though, was the man sitting at the end of the grand table. He was wearing purple striped pajamas and his hair was quite matted and wild, sticking out in curls every which way. He had a gentle smile on his lips and invited her to sit down on the corner beside him.

"Good morning Clara." He said, everyone else chorusing in with a good morning as well. She sat and watched as everyone else watched her.

"Oh, how rude of me," Mr. Wonka started, seeming to forget the introductions for awhile there, "These are Charlie's parents." He said, pointing to a beaming couple in the strangest clothes she had ever seen. They must have been specially made from Will's tailor because they suited his style quite well. With Mr. Bucket wearing a bright red floppy bow tie and Mrs. Bucket in an orange sunflowered dress. Charlie looked like normal though, and he soon started to introduce her to his grandparents.

"These are my grandparents. Grandpa Joe, who can usually walk but is being lazy this morning."

"Pleasure to meet you." He said, nodding his head at Clara. Clara smiled at the funny old man.

"Grandma Georgina, Grandma Josephine and Grandpa George."

Clara smiled pleasantly once more and started to wish that she had left an hour ago. The place was freaking her out, with a giant glass ceiling and Mr. Wonka humming some strange tune. It was quiet, an awkward silence between them all as they waited for the meal. The only person who didn't seem affected by this awkwardness was Mr. Wonka, who was humming and twiddling his thumbs.

Finally, a bunch of Oompa Loompa's burst through the back door carrying plates of toast and eggs, sausages and pancakes, waffles and cereal, and a bowl full of fruit. Clara wondered if this was all made especially for her. The Oompa Loompa's placed the plates on the table and everyone stared hungrily at them. Soon everyone had dug into the food, plates piled high and eyes obviously bigger than their stomachs.

Clara had picked only the things that she wanted the most, (which was quite difficult since she wanted everything), and began to cut her pancakes with a fork and knife delicately. Everyone else was chattering away whilst Clara sat silently and listened. She soon noticed that Mr. Wonka wasn't talking either, just watching everyone eat and talk all at the same time.

She sighed slightly and then took a bite out of the syrupy pancake that was on her plate. She couldn't help but moan at how delicious it was, melting in her mouth and so sweet. Mr. Wonka seemed to notice and asked her,

"Do you like the syrup? It's from Canada."

Clara had to admit that she had never had such great syrup in her life, not even back home, but told him how much she adored it anyway.

"I never knew that Canada had this good of syrup. It's wonderful! So sweet and rich and.. yum!" she took another bite and savored the taste on her tongue.

"Thank you again Mr. Wonka for this magnificent breakfast."

"You're welcome."

Clara glanced back at the table where dishes were being emptied very quickly. She looked inside of the fruit bowl and noticed that there was only an apple and a couple of strange looking berries left. She picked up one of the greenish colored berries and showed it to Mr. Wonka.

"What it this?" she asked him, sniffing it slightly. It didn't smell like anything spectacular but had a strange tang to it.

"Oh that is a schnozzberry."

"A schnozzberry?"

"Yes, a schnozzberry. They're very good. Try it."

Clara held the berry in the palm of her hand and stared at it, wondering if she really wanted to put the foreign object into her mouth. Mr. Wonka was watching her though, so she gently placed it onto the tip of her tongue and closed her mouth. She took one chomp and juice went squirting all over her mouth. Coughing, she reached for the nearest liquid she could, (which happened to be Mr. Wonka's coffee), and gulped it all down. It burned her throat, and was quite strong, but prevented her from choking to death on juice.

She looked up and noticed that everyone was staring at her. Blushing, she wiped her mouth with a napkin and handed Mr. Wonka's coffee cup back to him. Will just handed it to an Oompa Loompa to get refilled.

"Very… juicy." She proclaimed, causing everyone to laugh and then start chattering away once more. She was so embarrassed that she looked down at the table once more, studying the grain.

"Do you taste anything else?" Mr. Wonka spoke, causing Clara to look up at him. What did he mean, taste anything else? She felt around her mouth and concentrated, there was nothing there except the strong taste of coffee.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

She waited some more, slowly she tasted something new. It was like a sweet strawberry slowly filling up her mouth. It tasted so delicious that she licked the inside of her mouth, getting nothing but bland tasting saliva.

"I taste a strawberry."

"Ahh." Mr. Wonka said, seeming as though he understood something completely new about her.

"What do you mean, ahh?"

"Well, everyone tastes something different when they have a schnozzberry."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. And what you taste tells a lot about your personality."

"What does tasting a strawberry tell you about my personality?" she asked, curious at how he could know so much about her just from eating a berry.

"Well, it tells me that you are a very sweet woman with high confidence. But you sometimes have a raging temper that you cannot hold back. Also that you love taking long walks in the park and reading books."

Clara cocked her eyebrow, all of that stuff was true. How could he know this? She swallowed her saliva and the strawberry taste was gone, she wanted it to come back. But she would not be eating another one of those berries.

"Well what do you taste when you eat a schnozzberry?"

"Oh, well I taste a schnozzberry. Very few people can actually taste the schnozzberry when they eat one."

"Is that so?"

"Yes." Mr.Wonka said, taking a sip of his brand new coffee that the Oompa Loompa had just brought.

"What does that say about your personality then?"

"I'm different."

We all know that already, Clara thought to herself just as Will stood up. As soon as he stood up, everyone else stood up, and Clara was still sitting. She stood up quickly, almost knocking over her chair.

"Well, I'm off to get dressed. I'll see Charlie at noon for lessons." Everyone split off and went their own ways, leaving Clara and Will standing by themselves.

"Will you be leaving us today?" Will asked Clara, a slight pout on his face. Clara had to smile, his facial expression combined with his hair was too much for her to keep a straight face.

"I suppose so."

"Do you want to leave?"

Clara thought about that question for a moment, she knew that she should go but she still wanted to see the rest of the factory.

"I'm not sure."

There was silence as Will looked her over once more, his stomach feeling strange at the moment.

"Would you like to see the factory?"

"I would."

There was a silence, then Clara continued.

"I guess I could stay a bit longer, I have no where to go until that train strike is over anyway."

Will smiled and picked up his dark purple satin robe off of the back of his chair, placing it over his thin figure.

"I'll meet you." He said, walking away briskly through the giant double doors. Clara didn't have the chance to ask him where, but she somehow knew that they would find each other. Somehow…


	4. Chapter 4: Candyland

Junee: I was rewatching the movie yesterday and then heard someone say: "If only his father were alive." I must have gotten the new version mixed with the old version somehow.. I still had visions of the toothpaste factory in my head… Let's just imagine that she got remarried or something. :P Sorry about the mix up. (Plus thanks for your review!)

I miss getting reviews... :(

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"Where the hell am I go-ing?" Clara muttered to herself as she scaled down the long endless hallway. She was attempting to find her way back to the eating room but couldn't seem to remember anything about the walk there before. Her footsteps echoed as she continued to walk, the walls seeming to push closer and closer in on her until she could barely breathe. 

"Oh no." she said, turning around and looking back to see the same giant hallway stretching into nothingness. She couldn't help but start to get worried, who knew what this place had in store for her? She had read in the newspaper about four little children who had taken a tour in this factory and had returned stretched, blue, covered in fudge, and delirious about being caught in a furnace.

Clara turned around once more and screamed as Mr. Wonka's face appeared in front of hers, scaring the daylights out of her.

"Don't ever do that again!" she scolded him.

"Do what?" he asked with a cheeky smile on his lips. Clara felt like punching him but withheld her urges and followed close behind.

He was now wearing a green satin vest with a white dress shirt underneath and a large floppy purple bow tie. His pants looked the same as the day before, beige and formal. And of course he still wore his brown top hat on his head, perched above his reddish brown curly hair.

"Where are we going?" Clara suddenly asked, noticing that they were now standing in front of a glass door.

"This way." He replied, turning a combination lock on the door this way and that, mumbling the numbers to himself. When he had gotten the right combination the door opened and he ushered her inside.

"I'm not sure what I'm doing.." Clara mumbled under her breath, watching Wonka bang on the walls.

"Aren't we all?" Wonka replied to her mumble.

Clara finally got sick and tired of all of the nonsense and went to the original door, opening it and surprised to see that in front of her was a new hallway. It looked similar to the hallway where her bedroom was in.

"There it is!" Wonka shouted, plowing past Clara into the hallway. Clara wrinkled her nose at him, something was funny about this man and she didn't trust him. She watched as he walked down the hallway and was shocked at what she saw. Either he was getting bigger or the hallway was getting smaller, she couldn't tell.

"Well this place is just full of optical illusions isn't it?" she said as she followed him to where he was standing. There was a tiny little door beside where he crouched, and Clara really hoped that he wouldn't force her to go through that thing.

"Ah, my dear," he replied, flipping open a secret compartment to uncover a tiny piano, "Illusions are all around us."

He played a funny little tune on the piano and the whole wall where the door was clicked open. She soon realized that it was actually a large metal door and not just a tiny wooden one that they would be walking through.

He slowly opened it with a mighty push to reveal a large candyland. Clara gasped at the magnificent waterfall in the distance and the candy that surrounded her.

"Welcome to my dream." Mr. Wonka said, showing her the way down a couple flights of stairs. Clara almost tripped twice because her eyes were gaping at the sight around her.

"Is this all edible?" she asked, standing at the bottom of the stairs on a tiny pathway.

"It is all edible and eatable." Mr. Wonka pointed out, continuing to walk down the path and leaving Clara behind. "Enjoy!" he called out as he walked away. Clara started to wonder if he was going to leave her here all by herself, so she ran up next to him and fell in step with his slow pace.

"I said enjoy." Mr. Wonka said once more, glancing at the woman standing next to him.

"Are you going to leave me here?" Clara asked, halting as Wonka stopped walking.

"No way! Do you think that I would leave you alone with my most important dream? Not a chance in hel-" Mr. Wonka suddenly stopped his sentence short, looking down to see a tiny Oompa Loompa at his feet.

"Hello Maurice." He continued, "What's wrong?"

The creature handed Mr. Wonka a bag of candy and disappeared before anyone could say a goodbye.

"What's that?" Clara asked, peering at the tiny frog shaped candies.

"They're my newest creation. Jumpers."

"What do they do?"

Mr. Wonka picked up one by its foot and handed it to Clara.

"Try it for yourself."

Clara tentatively placed the candy into her mouth and screamed as it began to jump around.

"Close your mouth! Don't let it out!" Mr. Wonka told her, enjoying this all way too much. He smiled and watched as Clara's mouth bulged in different directions, the frog still jumping crazily. Soon it slowed down and Clara took a bite, tasting sweet gummy in her mouth.

"That was incredible." She told him with a grin.

"Yes I know. Now go enjoy the candies by yourself. I'll be around here somewhere."

Clara nodded, feeling like a kid in a… Candy store. She took off and walked through the trees, smelling the sweet scent of sugar and chocolate. The sound of rushing water reached her ears from the waterfall and she quickly went over to view it. Surprised at the brown tinge in the water she was taken aback. She soon realized that it must be a chocolate waterfall, of course. Why would you have a water waterfall in a Candyland?

She picked up a handful of mushrooms that were growing on the ground and began to eat them one by one. Walking and admiring this strange and wonderful place that she was in.

As she looked around she saw Mr. Wonka sitting in a patch of grass, surrounded by tiny purple flowers. He was picking the flowers and eating them, his eyes misty as if he were daydreaming.

Clara walked up to him and sat down, picking a flower herself and eating it. It tasted like soap to her so she continued to eat the rest of the chocolate mushrooms instead. She looked over at Mr. Wonka and saw that he was watching her as she ate.

"I thought I told you to go enjoy the candy."

"I am." Clara replied, eating another mushroom for emphasis.

"But you have only tried those."

"I'll get to trying the others. I just wanted to come sit with you for awhile."

Mr. Wonka was silent, processing this information in his brain. No one had ever wanted to sit with him before, they were much too busy eating his candy to care about him.

"Oh, well thank you." Was all he could come up with, still watching her as she looked around and ate the mushrooms from the palm of her hand.

"What are Oompa Loompas?" Clara suddenly asked, the question popping into her mind. She had never seen a creature such as it before and was quite curious.

"Oompa Loompas are creatures that come from Loompaland."

"Loompaland?"

"Yes, it's a horrible place. All the Oompa Loompas were getting eaten by bigger and stronger animals so I asked them if they would like to come and work for me. They liked the idea and came. It's much better than having humans working for me, don't you think?"

After thinking about the question Clara replied with a slow,

"Yes."

She looked at Mr. Wonka and saw something that she hadn't seen before. There was a look of compassion and caring on his face as he watched the Oompa Loompas work. His bright blue eyes sparkled as he looked around at the land he had created, the safe haven for the poor helpless orange creatures.

"You must be the most content man in the whole world." Clara said, looking him straight in the eyes as she said this. Mr. Wonka cringed slightly and took off his hat, placing it on the ground beside him.

"Not exactly."

"You have everything you could ever want, how could you not be content?"

"There are ways."

Clara noticed his face drop into deep thought as his eyes searched the ground. She pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged her knees, her deep brown hair tumbling onto her arms as she looked down at the ground also.

She then realized what Mr. Wonka did not have. He didn't have a companion. Sure; Charlie was a nice boy and the Buckets were nice people, but he could never tell them his deepest secrets and his utmost thoughts. And as Clara thought more, she decided that Mr. Wonka needed a best friend more than anything, and maybe a lover.

"Mr. Wonka!" she heard a voice call from the staircase and soon saw Charlie rushing down towards them. Wonka picked up his hat and placed it on his head, standing up and waving to Charlie. He offered his hand to Clara and she took it, being brought up to her feet in one pull.

"Hello Charlie, ready to start your lessons for today?" he asked, ruffling the boys bleach blonde hair.

"Yessir." He replied, smiling up at Wonka.

"You could follow us if you like." Mr. Wonka told Clara. She nodded her head and began to walk behind the two, listening to Mr. Wonka talk but not processing the meaning of his words.

Her head pounded as she thought, and her heart ached for this poor lonely soul. And she knew that Mr. Wonka wasn't as happy as he seemed, and that he had thoughts building up inside of him.

Yet, Clara had never wanted to leave this factory as strongly as she did right then. And she didn't know why.


	5. Chapter 5: Goodbye

Short Chapter but has mentions of rape. So if you're sensitive about these types of things, don't read this chapter. (Even though you'll be missing a big chunk of the story)

Remember, please review:)

* * *

"Goodbye Charlie." Clara said, giving the boy a small hug and then looking up at Mr. Wonka. 

"Goodbye Will." She said, putting out her hand to be shaken. Wonka only looked at it and then continued to protest.

"You can't leave yet, you have no where to go."

Clara shook her head, she had made up her mind last night. She needed to leave this place as soon as possible before her mind went mad. She had learned too much yesterday and was scared that she would be tempted to tell others of her journey. It was true, she had no clue where she was going to go. She thought that maybe a motel would be suitable for a day or two, or maybe she could hitchhike home.

That morning at breakfast she had told everyone she would be leaving that morning. Will had protested all morning since then, telling her that the train strike wasn't over yet and she could be harmed. Clara knew that she could take care of herself, and she wouldn't listen to whatever Wonka had to say.

"I'll find my way home." She told him, grabbing his hand and shaking it for him. Wonka nodded his head, understanding that he could never change her mind. She was leaving and she would never be back again.

Clara picked up her suitcase and walked out of the door, down the front path and out to the iron gates. She waited for them to open, but they stayed closed. She looked back at Wonka, wondering if he was going to keep her here against her will.

"Are you sure you'll be ok?" he asked once more, making absolutely sure.

"I'll be fine. Good bye!"

"Au Revoir." Will said half-heartedly, pressing a button and opening the gate. She pulled her suitcase along and walked away down the sidewalk. Not sure where to go next, but feeling a pit in her stomach. Something about that factory had made her feel at home, and she was already missing it. Even though she knew that it wasn't the place fro her to stay.

And as she continued to think and walk Mr. Wonka watched her from the door, watched her walk into the distance all alone. His stomach felt funny and he had no words to describe it. It wasn't like an eating too much candy stomachache, it was different, and it confused him.

* * *

"Dammit!" Clara yelled as another car passed her, splashing through a puddle of water and soaking her skirt. She as walking down the sidewalk with her hand stuck out to her side. She had never hitch hiked before in her whole entire life and this was definitely a new experience. Not a very good experience though. 

She gave up, walking into the nearest restaurant she could find and sitting down at a table. It smelt like smoke and alcohol, a deadly combination. She looked around the dimly lit room noticing a couple of scruffy guys eyeing her. She looked away and waited for a waitress to come help her, but she saw no one.

Sighing, she pushed her suitcase underneath the table and waited some more. Aren't waitresses supposed to wait on me? She thought to herself whilst fiddling with her fingernail.

"Hello Miss." Someone said from behind her, but it didn't sound like a waitress. It was one of the scruffy guys. He had a big bushy brown beard and alcohol stinking breath, carrying a cigarette in his hand. Clara wrinkled her nose automatically and looked around for someone to help her.

"Yes?" she asked wearily, backing away as far as she could.

"Can you do me a favor?"

Clara gulped, did he really think that she was a whore? Did she look like one? She stood up and walked away without saying anything, grabbing her suitcase quickly and disappearing through the front door. It was now dark out, at least nine o clock, and Clara felt relieved to be out of that place.

She walked briskly, looking for a motel, but was stopped by a voice once more.

"Excuse me Miss." Said the same rough scruffy voice, tapping her on the shoulder. She gasped, it was the same guy, and he had been following her all of this time.

"Yes?" she asked, backing away but ending up being pushed into a wall anyway. His hand was on her shoulder, pushing her back up against the rough brick wall. She was terrified, a feeling of fear building up in her and making her sick to her stomach.

"You never answered my question." He told her, his face close to hers, blowing the rank smell of alcohol into her face, "So I'll take that for a yes."

She attempted to scream as he began to lift her skirt up, running his hand against her thigh and undoing to top buttons of her shirt. He smelt horrible, he felt horrible, and he was about to rape her.

Clara was frozen, but quickly thinking up a plan of escape, and as he reached to his belt buckle she pulled up all of the courage she could. Taking her knee back she hit him in the groin with a fierce blow, kneeing him as hard as she could. And as he bent over, she ran. She ran as fast as she could, leaving her suitcase behind and all of her precious belongings.

Tears flowed down her face, her shirt crooked and her hair in tangles. She didn't know where she was running. But subconsciously, she knew where she was going all along. And as she reached those iron gates she fell to her knees, grabbing hold of the bars to keep her from collapsing onto the ground. Her body shaking as she cried, silent tears flowing down her face and choking sobs that made it impossible to breathe. She had been so close to being hurt, and just thinking about what that man could have done to her made her break down even more.

"Clara!" she heard someone call, footsteps clacking as they ran up to her. She soon realized that the gate was opening and she was still clinging to the bars, being dragged along the ground, and skinning her knees.

"Will." She choked out.


	6. Chapter 6: I STOLE IT!

Thanks for the reviews. :) Some adultish conversations in this chapter. Oh yes, and alcohol.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 6:

Will had no idea what to do and was looking down at Clara with concern. He called for Charlie to go get some Oompa Loompas and a cart, but as he waited his heart couldn't take the torture much longer. He picked her up and ran back into the factory, soothing her sobs and trying not to drop her. Somewhere deep inside, he was happy to have her back.

As the Oompa Loompas rushed towards him with a cart Will kept on walking, swiftly and with ease, towards her room. Opening the door he placed her on the bed, her face was bruised, her knees were bleeding and her face was slick with perspiration and tears.

Will was torn, he had no clue what had happened and now was not the time to talk about it obviously. Charlie came running in, followed by his mother who had bandages and a first-aid kit.

"Clara!" she said, rushing to the woman's side. "What happened?"

Clara didn't reply, she was shocked and in pain, mostly emotional. Ms. Bucket took her legs and elevated them, wiping them with a warm cloth and putting rubbing alcohol on the cuts. Clara winced with pain and Will winced with her.

"Mr. Wonka, can you go get me a glass of hot water?" Ms. Bucket asked. When he didn't reply she turned around. He had vanished and was already walking down the hallway into his room.

* * *

Clara awoke in a dimly lit room, the covers were pulled up tight around her chin and her knees were throbbing with pain. Where the hell am I? She thought to herself, looking around and letting her eyes adjust. I didn't go home with that scruff did I? 

She let out a breath of relief when she saw where she actually was. Her own Lollipop room in the Wonka factory. She began to remember facts about the day before, shuddering when her thoughts came to what that man could have done to her. She had come too close before, and now she was reliving that horror.

Her eyes watered as she remembered Mr. Wonka, carrying her into her room and soothing her sobs. His voice had seemed so calm, so caring. He had cared about her. Clara froze and repeated that statement in her mind once more.

He cared about her.

She smiled, not being able to hold back her happy feelings. Yet, they were stifled soon by another memory. A memory from her past. That hadn't been the first time that she had almost been raped, it had happened before, and with her own boyfriend.

Richard was his name, a nice country boy with wispy blonde hair and brown hazel eyes. Everyone loved him and Clara loved him most of all. She had become a friend with him and eventually they had begun to see each other. One night Richard took Clara out to the field in order to see the stars. At the time Clara had thought it to be incredibly romantic, so she agreed and they left the house. But it hadn't been romantic whatsoever, and the evening had ended in a terrible way. He had hurt her, punched her and raped her. The most horrible part of all was that she had loved him, and he had been using her all along.

Clara cried silently at this flashback, feeling hurt and betrayed all over again. Her body slumped and she winced at her sore shoulder, the one that the scruff had pushed up against the wall.

I need alcohol, she thought to herself suddenly. Alcohol would help her through her trauma, it had helped her at other times. But those other times hadn't been as drastic as this, and the most alcohol she had drunk was splitting a bottle of wine with her best friends.

Clara slowly got out of bed and placed her feet onto the ground. She was still wearing the clothes she had been wearing before and she felt dirty. The smell of cigarettes still lingered around her and she needed to change. After getting on a fresh shirt and skirt she left the room, waking slowly because of her knees. There were two large bandages placed over her knees and it stung every time she bent her knee.

Now where would there be alcohol in a chocolate factory, she asked herself whilst trying not to fall over. Maybe Mr. Wonka would have some, he ought to have a secret stash someplace.

She noted a large cuckoo clock hanging on the wall and saw that it was 3 in the morning, so everyone would have to be sleeping. She got to his office door that stated his authority of the building. President, Vice- President, Manager, and so on.

She carefully stepped inside and looked around, not wanting to turn on a light switch for fear of getting caught. She pulled out a drawer on his desk, nothing there except papers and bills and a letter from the Queen. The next drawer had just what she was looking for, a medium size flask of something or rather.

She opened it, sniffed it, declared that it was in fact alcohol, and chugged it back. There was much more in there than she had expected and by the time she had finished it her balance had already been affected. She put the flask back and closed the drawer, tipsy and light headed.

"Thanks Wonka." She said out loud, leaving the office and walking back down the hallway. The further she walked the more the alcohol began to sink in and she was bumping into walls. After about five bumps she ran into a door, and surprisingly it clicked open. She gasped, realizing that it was a back door to the Chocolate room.

"Wowsers!" she said, walking in and not caring to close the door behind her. The lights were off so it was dark and Clara stumbled around the candy. She tripped over a rock and landed on her butt. She laughed. She laughed and laughed and laughed until she couldn't laugh no more. And then she cried, because her knees hurt and her stomach was sore.

She stood up once more and almost stumbled again but a strong hand held her up.

"Thanks mysterious stranger." She mumbled, walking in circles and then bumping right into that stranger. Mr. Wonka stared down at her with disappointment in his eyes, and as soon as Clara saw that she burst out into tears once more. He held her up but she slithered down to the floor anyway.

"I'm drunk!" she declared, throwing her hands into the air and continued to cry.

"I know that." Will said, joining her on the ground in a cross-legged position.

"You do?" she asked, sniffing as her tears subsided.

"Yes, I do. I could smell you from a mile away."

"How did you find me?"

"I heard bumps in the hallway and saw a door open. Then I saw you fall."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"About what?" he asked.

"Stealing your alcohol."

"You what?"

"I stole it! I STOLE IT FROM YOUR DESK AND I DRANK IT ALL!"

Clara burst out into tears again and Will just sat there staring at her. He was wearing only his pajamas and velvet robe and was truly annoyed at the moment.

"I needed that for special recipes. It is a drink only found in Siberia that is quite strong and expensive… no wonder you're so drunk."

"Oh Will. I'm sorry."

"I know that."

There was an awkward silence between the two as Clara stopped crying. She began to giggle and hiccuped, moving a bit closer to Mr. Wonka. Her head was not there and her actions were showing it.

"You ought to be awfully lonely around here Will." She told him, stretching out the "I" in his name so it sounded like, "Weeel".

"I'm not." He said, knowing that the alcohol, and nothing more, was causing her actions.

" You must have.. frustrations.." she told him, almost falling backwards but steadying herself.

"No, I don't know what you mean. Now let's get you back to your room so you can sleep this off." Will stood up and grabbed her forearm, pulling her up to stand beside him. Clara giggled and fell into him, breathing heavily into his face. Will flinched at her every exhale and attempted to drag her back to the door. Clara wouldn't budge.

"Kiss me." She told him, cupping his chin carelessly in her hand and sort of bumping her lips into his. Will grabbed her cheeks and pulled her away from him. Her face was squished between his fingers and her lips were pursed like a fish.

"Stop." He ordered her, still trying to drag her away. If she didn't cooperate soon he would either have to carry her out or lock her in.

"God I love it when you talk like that.." she groaned, still standing in the same spot. Will sighed and gave up, throwing his arms in the air.

"FINE! Just stay here then!"

"Will you stay with me?"

"No."

Clara's eyes began to puff again as tears built and she fell down to the ground again.

"Oh for goodness.." Will mumbled, this time making no attempt to save her.

"Why won't you kiss me?" she said with a sniffle, her head in her hands.

"Because you are drunk dear, and you should really head back." Will knew not to ask her why she had gotten drunk in the first place. He would ask those questions tomorrow. The most important of those questions tugging at him was what had happened to her yesterday afternoon. She had changed so much since then.

"Can you sleep the night with me?"

"NO!" Will shouted, his loud voice booming across the room. Clara shrunk back and began to sob, Will controlled his temper and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry dear, but you just really need to-"

"Would you have kissed me if I wasn't drunk?"

Will stopped to think about this question. If she had really meant it, would he have kissed her? Maybe. What was he kidding himself?

"Yes." He told her, suddenly feeling like having a bit of that drink himself. Clara smiled and began to giggle again. Will had no idea what was going on. He had read about drunkenness but had never assumed that it would be this drastic.

"So…" Clara said, standing upright once again.

"Let's go back." He told her, grabbing her wrist and pulling. She stumbled a couple of steps and stopped once more. Will shook his head, really hoping to at least get some sleep that night.

"I have a question to ask you Mr. Won-ka." Clara said as she wobbled back and forth in the non-existent wind.

"Yes?" Will asked, exasperated at this little night adventure.

"If I kissed you and then began to go a little further. Would you know what I meant?"

Clara's question was a bit hard to understand, but basically she was asking if Will knew what a home run was. Wonka stood back and sighed, what had he gotten himself into?

"Yes I would. My father left me a library full of books and I've read them all. They explain anything and everything about the whole world. I'm not as naïve as you think."

Clara smiled, somehow happy about this newfound information.

"Now can we go back?" Will asked, offering her his hand.

"Ok." Clara said, grasping it with her own and allowing him to steady her by the waist. They both walked away through the back door and down the hallway.

Boy, will Clara be sorry about this tomorrow. Will thought to himself as he tucked her into bed. He watched as her eyelids fluttered shut and tried to block out the things that she had said to him before. Because, whenever he thought about it, they made his stomach feel funny.


	7. Chapter 7: Love?

Enjoy! I love writing this story... XD

* * *

Chapter 7: 

Headaches seemed to be normal to Clara nowadays, and as she woke up a massive one hit her. She winced and moaned, wondering what was wrong with her. Her head felt like a truck had slammed into it.

She suddenly gasped. She knew why her head hurt; she was hung over. She groaned even louder and felt like screaming. How could she have been so stupid as to have gotten drunk? She probably did some crazy things last night..

"Good morning." A soft voice piped up from above her. Clara did not feel like bringing her head out from underneath the covers and instead mumbled a;

"G'morning."

"Would you like a pain reliever?"

"Yes please."

She stuck out her hand and felt a tiny pill placed into the center of it. She waited for a glass of water but none came.

"Can I please have sum wata?"

"You don't need any. Just place that on you tongue and it'll melt away the pain."

Clara sighed, now knowing that it was Mr. Wonka who was standing above her. And she also remembered bumping into Will last night, but she couldn't recall what they had said to each other.. that's not a good sign, she thought.

Clara placed the pill on her tongue and it instantly disappeared, along with her throbbing headache and wooziness. It was amazing what miracles Will had invented in this factory. She tore the bed covers off of her head and saw Will standing above her, moving back slightly at the sudden motion.

"How are you feeling?"

"A lot better."

There was an awkward silence. Clara realized that she was wearing the same clothes as the night before yet, how could that be? They weren't even her clothes.

As if reading her mind Will told her,

"Ms. Bucket lent you some of her old clothes last night and I placed them over there." He said, pointing to a chair in the corner covered with miscellaneous articles of clothing.

"Oh. Thank you, and her." Clara stood up and faced Will, quite nervous about last night. What had she done? She knew something was wrong, but what?

"What did I do!" Clara asked, throwing her arms up in the air with frustration.

"What do you mean?"

"Last night. I got drunk and I must have done something horrible."

Will looked at her calmly, his eyes staring square into hers. His hands folded together at his waist and his mouth in a stitch straight line.

"Some things are better left unsaid." Was all that he told her.

Clara nodded, understanding the logic behind his reasoning. Things would never be the same again if she knew what she had done. It would be awkward and strange between the two. They both continued to stand facing each other, and Clara began to wonder how long Will had been watching her sleep.

"I have heard the song of the blossoms and the old chant of the sea,

And seen strange lands from under the arched white sails of ships;

But the loveliest things of beauty God ever has showed to me

Are her voice, and her hair, and eyes, and the dear red curve of her lips." Will whispered, barely audible to Clara's ear.

"What did you say?" She asked silently, unconsciously moving closer towards him. She could feel his breath hitting her nose as he exhaled and inhaled deeply. Her body was still moving closer and she couldn't control it.

Will cleared his throat, obviously beginning to become uncomfortable.

"Oh nothing, just a couple of lines from a poem I thought of. That's all."

"Ok." Clara said, taken aback at his defensive actions. His hands were wringing together and his brow was sweating. Clara took a step back and Will sighed. Is he claustrophobic or something? Clara asked herself.

"So," Clara continued, wanting to get past this situation, "Has the train strike ended yet?"

"Not yet." Will said, getting ready to make up an excuse to leave.

"Well, I guess I'll be staying here for a bit longer then."

"I guess so."

"What's for breakfast?"

"It's five in the afternoon."

"Oh.. well then what's for dinner?"

"Everything. I ought to be going Clara. I'll see you in the eating room in a couple of minutes. Adieu."

"Au Revoir." Clara said with a wave of her hand as Will dashed out of the room. She ran her hand through her hair as she sat back down onto her bed. What had just happened there? Had she almost kissed Will? Had she wanted to kiss him? Clara shook her head and decided that what she needed was a long hot shower; or maybe a cold one.

* * *

Since Clara had discovered the secret door to the chocolate room, (she had remembered that much from the night before), she had been itching to go through it once more. Supper had finished and the evening had passed quickly, leaving Clara by herself. 

She walked causally down the hallway, looking for the door that would lead her to her favorite room. She soon found it, still partially open, and stepped inside. Being careful not to close it completely behind her. The room was still as beautiful as she remembered with bright colors and the sound of the chocolate fall in the background.

Smiling, she saw Will standing by the river with a tiny box of candy in his hand. She hadn't suspected Will to be there at all and was somehow pleasantly surprised. Sauntering over to him she noticed a look of strong concentration on his face. So, not to bother him, she waited behind until he was done thinking.

"Are you going to come talk to me, or just stand behind me all day?" he suddenly piped up, leaving Clara with a racing heart.

"I'll come talk." She said, walking up beside him and looking down into the river where his eyes had settled. But, instead of talking like they had planned, Clara and Will stood silent with thoughts racing in their heads.

Through that silence a whisper emerged, Clara was quiet and intent listening to those words:

"Time is too slow for those who wait,  
too swift for those who fear,  
too long for those who grieve,  
too short for those who rejoice,  
but for those who love, time is eternity."

"That was beautiful." Clara whispered, as to not interrupt the moment. Will still continued to stare at the river, watching as the tons of chocolate rushed by under his nose. Clara smiled, things had changed since last night and she couldn't quite exactly place her finger on what it was that had changed. Mr. Wonka's personality for sure, but something else.. something inside her.

"I have something to show you." Will told her, swiftly moving away and up through the secret door. Clara jogged to keep up with him as he continued down the hallway. He seemed to be mumbling something, concentrating as he counted to five.

"One-"

Clara was scared, what was he doing?

"Two-"

What would happen when he finished counting?

"Three-"

How long was he going to count for?

"Four-"

Why was he even counting?

"Five."

Is that all?

Will stopped abruptly, causing Clara to almost go flying into his back. She noticed that the hallway had come to an end. So the hallway did end after all! There was a single doorway where it ended and Will was beckoning for her to open it.

"Go ahead." He told her with a sheepish smile on his face. Clara furrowed her brow and went to the doorknob, twisting it open ever so carefully. She pushed the doorway open and gasped at what she saw. This factory is just full of surprises, isn't it? Clara thought to herself as she took a step inside the room.

It was a library, full of thousands of books right from the floor to the ceiling. Piled into bookshelves and thrown onto tables, yet there seemed to be some system of organization to it. She seemed to recall Mr. Wonka telling her about a library before, but when? Did he tell her about it last night? And why would he tell her about the library unless she asked him about it? And how could she have known that there would have been a library? Clara's mind was swimming with questions, and she wished more than anything that Will would tell her about last night.

"This is my library," Will said with a proud little smile, "My father left it to me so I could learn about the world. I have read every book in here, and am working on my second time around."

"Wow." Was all that Clara could come up with. She was scared to touch anything for fear that it would all come crashing down onto her.

"Go ahead, look around." Will said, watching as she slowly ran a finger over the book covers. He had never shown anyone this library before, not even Charlie knew that it existed. So why would I show it to her? He asked himself with puzzlement.

"It's great Will! Is this where you got all of your poems from?"

"Yes. I've memorized most of them."

"You must be very smart to have read all of these books…" Clara gawked, picking up a book titled 'A guide to Loompaland!'

"I don't like to toot my own horn but.. yes I am quite intelligent." Will told her with a smile, causing Clara to break out into a grin herself. She leafed through a couple of the pages and then set the book back on to the shelf.

"You can take that back to your room tonight if you wish to read more." Will said, watching as Clara placed it back into her hands.

"Thanks. Maybe I'll learn something about Loompaland."

"I'm sure you will find it fascinating."

There was a silence as Clara and Will looked uneasily at each other. They could both sense something different between the two, and they both had strong feelings that they couldn't ignore.

"It's only been about four days since I met you." Clara said, recalling the past days events in her head. "Yet, I feel like I've known you all my life. Thanks again for letting me stay here Will."

"It has been no trouble." Wonka told her sincerely, his bright blue eyes slightly hidden beneath the brim of his hat.

"I have something to tell you." Clara said, sitting down at one of the two tables. She watched as Will followed, pulling up a chair for himself.

"What is it?"

"Well.. you have a right to know what happened to me yesterday."

Will was silent, looking down at the table and fidgeting with his fingers. He really did want to know what had happened.

"I was almost raped." She said in a whisper, but Will understood. He felt pity for her but had no clue how to express his emotions.

"Almost?" was all he said, happy that she hadn't been raped completely.

"Yes, almost. I kneed him in the groin and then ran away."

Will couldn't help but chuckle, it was just such an image to imagine a big tough guy being beaten by a short woman.

"But, that wasn't the first time that it's happened to me. And the last time was a long time ago, but it has scarred me. So, I guess that's why I stole your liquor Will. There were just too many scars and emotions for me to deal with at the time. I'm sorry."

"Why should you be sorry?" Will asked, standing up and walking over to beside her.

"If I were in your position I would have done the same thing. I'm just happy that you made it back here safely."

Clara stood up to face him. She could smell the scent of mint on his breath every time he exhaled and it smelt so good. His eyes were twinkling as they often did and their icy blue color was driving her mad. It seemed like so long ago she had thought that this man was a creep and crazy. But now, all she wanted to do was be held in his arms.

"Somewhere I have never traveled, gladly beyondany experience, your eyes have their silence:  
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,  
or which I cannot touch because they are too near." Will whispered, sending chills down Clara's spine.

His lips tugged a smile at the corners and Clara dared to touch them, to kiss them. She moved closer to him as he moved to her, their eyes locked to each other. When Will reached out to grab her waist Clara backed up. Will was surprised, Clara was even more.

"I'm sorry.." Clara said, tears building up in her eyes, "I just can't do this. Not so soon." She pushed past him and left the library, leaving Will staring after her in dismay. What had just happened?

Will had never understood love, no matter how many books he had read about it. It seemed unreal, a feeling that he had never felt. And now, he was no closer to understanding it.


	8. Chapter 8: The End

Short chapter and the ending. It's pretty sappy but what the heck. Hope you don't hate it! (And the line thing isn't working...)

Chapter 8:

Sighing, Clara placed the Loompa land book on the floor beside her. Glancing at her watch she noticed that it was two in the morning and she wasn't the least bit tired. So much was swimming around in her head she probably couldn't get to sleep even if she hadn't slept for a week.

She decided to go for a walk, and sooner or later her subconscious had led her to the chocolate room's secret back door. She loved that room and was happy to get inside of it. Somehow, it calmed her nerves with the sound of rushing water in the background.

As she wandered around she heard a soft voice, it sounded like humming. She quickly hid behind a tree and looked around. Her gaze wandered to Mr. Wonka who was walking along the edge of the river with a lollipop in his hand. He was singing a song, quietly at first and then continuing to get louder.

"Come with me, and you'll be, in a world of pure imagination…" he continued to sing whilst gliding along the shore. Clara sighed, how could she have not kissed this man?

Her problems from before were interfering with what she wanted to do. Trusting a man was something that she swore never to do again, yet she felt herself falling once more. She needed to get away from her past, stop worrying about the future, and just live in the moment.

Without thinking Clara stepped out and began to walk up to Will who still hadn't noticed her. She listened to his singing until the song came to an end, and as she was about to tap him on the shoulder he turned around. Stunned to see Clara standing there he almost toppled over into the river.

Clara smiled and reached out to caress his cheek, Will stood still, not sure what to do. Last time he had gone further Clara had ran away in tears.

"It's ok." Clara told him, taking his hand and placing it onto her hip, "I just needed time to think. I trust you Will."

"But before.." Will began, Clara cutting him off.

"Before I was living in the past. I am ready to move on, and trusting you is the first step."

Will smiled and moved his other hand to stroke her hair, pulling her closer to him. Clara melted, she had been waiting for what seemed like forever to be in his arms. And that is when she knew that it was right. Everything felt right.

"I love you." She whispered, patting down his frizzy hair with a grin.

"And I love you." Will responded. He might not know what love was, but he had no other words to describe how he felt at that moment. For the first time in a long time he was content, and truly happy.

The both leaned in towards each other and kissed, a tiny peck on the lips. Then Clara wrapped her arms around Will's neck and pulled herself even closer to him yet. Placing a kiss full of passion onto his lips. Will returned that kiss and wrapped both of his arms around her waist.

And at that exact moment the train strike ended. All trains would be operational the next day and Clara would be free to go home. Yet, Clara never did go home. She had found true happiness right where she was. In the arms of Mr. Willy Wonka.


End file.
